Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a tactile sensor and a method for making the same. Specifically, the invention is directed to a tactile sensor formed by a applying a contact transmission medium to a pressure sensor and method for making the tactile sensor by mounting the pressure sensor to a substrate and then introducing the contact transmission medium between the transducer and a contact surface, as well as methods to modify the response of said sensor.
Description of the Prior Art
Tactile sensing is used in the field of robotics and manufacturing in general to indicate to a control system that a component of a machine has come in contact with an object, either intentionally (e.g., a part is taken from a storage rack) or unintentionally (e.g., a moving component comes in contact with a person or moving automated vehicle). Some tactile sensors merely indicate that contact above a threshold force level is made. Other tactile sensors can provide a measure of the contact force or pressure distribution and can be used to enable machines to interact fragile items without damage.
A tactile sensor generally refers to any sensor that creates an electrically usable signal from pressure or force generated by contact, e.g. with objects or other parts of a mechanism. Some tactile sensors provide very little information, detecting only whether contact above some threshold force or pressure has been made. Others provide detailed spatial measurements, and can be used to determine the location and magnitude of a force applied to a surface, or to estimate the force and torque applied to a rigid body in contact with several tactile sensors (such as the force and torque exerted on the ground by the sole of a foot). In consumer products, industrial automation, and other robotics applications, tactile sensors are often used to detect collisions, which can be intentional, e.g. when a part is picked up from a storage rack, or unintentional, e.g. when a machine accidentally collides with a wall or a human operator.